Um, I’m not sure you should say “sex poodle” in your vows.
Tuesday 17 February 2009 – 11:17Hell’s Bells (Rebecca Rand Kirshner)
Another divisive episode, which seems par for the course in season six. I like a great deal of it. I’m not keen on the notion of the demons at the wedding and how they could possibly pass for any kind of human. And what kind of explanation could there be for the slaying of a demon in full view of all the guests? I think Willow’s rescue of Tara is handled in a ham-fisted way because Tara (in her green dress) looked formidable rather than in need of help.
The green dresses are hideous and they are the clearest indication that the costumer (Cynthia Bergstrom) was having a laugh. No way would Anya want to ruin her wedding by having to look at those.
Sarah Michelle Gellar seemed very relaxed in this angst-free episode (for her anyway) and this shows in her performance. I delighted in Buffy’s inability to think on her feet (“You know, he’s half-minister, half-doctor, he’s a-a mini-tor. Not, of course, to be confused with a Minotaur! Because he’s all, you know, man, this doctor minister man, no, no bull parts whatsoever.”), her playing charades (with horns) and juggling! Buffy juggling, it doesn’t get any better really. Buffy and Spike speaking civilly to each other is such a treat too.
Oh Xander, what have you done? He is scared he will turn into his father and I appreciate that it was himself that he hated in the visions and not Anya who was portrayed as unfaithful. However, the worst thing to come out of this episode is the Xander who turns up in “Entropy” who thankfully we haven’t seen since season five. He is my least favourite Scooby.
OK, enough of the main plot onto the best scene which is another to add to my all time favourites from BtVS . They don’t all involve Tara and Willow because this one involves Anya as well. So there. Anya is rehearsing her ridiculous sounding vows and as Willow helps Tara button up Anya’s wedding dress, they smile and laugh at Anya until they realise that she is genuine and they start to look thoughtful instead. The actresses play the scene so sweetly that it just warms my cockles. They then realise how lovely she looks, despite the mask, and she flaps her hands because she is so thrilled to be marrying the love of her long life: she is cute, funny and heartbreaking.
“Okay. Blah, blah, blah, misogynistic. Blah, blah, ‘I do however entrust you…, um, with my heart. Take care of my heart, won’t you please? Take care of it because, it’s all that I have. And, if you let me, I’ll take care of your heart too.”
“Okay. It’s just I’m so excited and I want to share it all with my best friend. I get to be with my best friend forever! Yay!”
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8 Responses to “Um, I’m not sure you should say “sex poodle” in your vows.”
Ooh. I don’t like that scene at all. It seems really…fake to me. And way to telegraph the ending there, folks. Anya’s really happy — of course, she is going to be crushed. I do think that Emma Caulfield is very good at the very end. Her pain feels real, even if her happiness did not.
My favorite scene in “Hell’s Bells” is the one between Willow and Xander. Nick and Alyson are fantastic.
And yay for angst-free Buffy! I always love her when she lies badly.
By stephanie b on Wednesday 18 February 2009 – 0:48
I have a love/hate relationship with this episode. I love the family gathering (especially Dawn and the demon teenager bonding), Buffy entertaining the crowd, the silly bridesmaid dresses, and Anya looking lovely.
I hate the Xander plot, with the demon “Xander from the future”. Please! Xander should have fought off his fears, and therefore defeated the demon. But noooo. Xander is not allowed to have developed enough confidence in himself, despite all the progress he has made in his career, to overcome his doubts.
Oh, please. I think the writers overdid the misery thing. Having one couple actually succeed wouldn’t have lessened my interest in the show. It would have been a nice contrast to Buffy and Willow, and a bit of relief, comic and otherwise.
Sadly, no one asked me. Instead, Buffy characters must suffer, suffer, suffer, all Season 6 long.
By Jackie on Wednesday 18 February 2009 – 5:54
“the dress is radioactive” LOL
I love Buffy here. I cannot say the same of Xander, though.
By zarine on Thursday 19 February 2009 – 2:52
PS, I never saw Xander and Anya as “bestfriends”
Tara and Willow, maybe…
By zarine on Thursday 19 February 2009 – 5:44
Oh dear, I am doing such half-arsed reviews these days.
I completely understand each and every criticism of the Anya wedding dress scene but I still love it. They are my three favourite actors and characters and they are so endearing in these scenes and they just totally sell it to me. Of course, the notion of Xander and Anya being best friends is insane unless your best friend does spend all his time belittling and patronising you in front of your mutual friends.
And a happy long-term couple in the Buffyverse (and the wider Whedonverse) is as rare as laugh in “Wrecked”. Even the happiest couple, Zoë and Wash, were denied a future. Criticism of this fact is often countered with the response that happy couples aren’t compelling dramatically, to which I respond that the writers need to look around at their own relationships and to work harder at making a long-term couple interesting.
Joss also needs to stop killing characters for the benefit of other characters’ growth and development.
By moley75 on Thursday 19 February 2009 – 22:22
Word. On both those last points. And Joss needs to stop killing the pacifist “innocent bystanders.” It’s getting old.
I really do think that long-term couples can be interesting. Granted, they broke up for half a season, but Marshall and Lily are totally cute on How I Met Your Mother. And on Medium Allison and Joe’s marriage is an integral part of the show. It’s not perfect and they fight, but they love each other and the audience knows that they are going to stay together. And that relationship is one of the main reasons I like the show.
By stephanie b on Friday 20 February 2009 – 1:32
Great recap!
Just giving the heads up: Chosen update tonight.
By Daniela on Saturday 28 February 2009 – 2:57
Thanks Daniela, great news, now I have to remind myself of what is going on!
By moley75 on Sunday 1 March 2009 – 21:13